Jim Hill wrote:
> I can only assume that there are a lot of folks who'd like to tweak their
> Triumphs a bit--and are aware of the value of the Kastner booklet--but have
> somehow not yet hooked up with TRF, Moss or any of the Triumph owners'
> clubs.
After I bid almost $50 for a "Riley Motor Club" badge that it turns
out can be had new from the Australian club for $25 -- I've learned
to research first. I knew better, too, but motivation and the perception
of limited availability is always a great selling point too. My youngest
son's name is Riley, and I WANTED IT... for his backpack. It was
listed NOS, which was almost certainly untrue -- it was likely NNS.
And I was outbid anyway. ;-)
I think that eBay is so popular and easy to use that people who
don't know how to -- or don't care to --do basic research on the web
can easily bid for stuff they could just buy retail. And it's kind of
addictive, there's a reason a recent lister wrote that he "won" an
item on eBay. Most times it seems like you "lose" even if you are
high bidder. ;-)
> I used to write to the unsuccessful bidders to congratulate them on their
> good luck in not being the high bidder - and to direct them to TRF, but this
> is no longer possible under eBay's new system where the bidders' email
> addresses are accessible only to the seller.
I'm going to write up a brochure on Triumph parts collecting and
purchasing, and offer it on eBay. ;-) Really, it's funny that people
are bidding on this stuff yet apparently haven't heard of the big
vendors. Moss seems expensive... till you try to buy it on eBay.
> It might be a useful (though expensive and time-consuming) project for VTR
> to assemble a mailing list of all registered TR owners, so that they can all
> be sent a "Triumph Fact Sheet", along with an invitation to join the VTR.
Jim, I'm not sure anyone could -- or should -- build a mailing list of
registered TR owners. I assume you're thinking of looking at U.S.
state motor vehicle registrations, and the like overseas. There are
already opt-in lists for Triumph owners that serve people who WANT
lots of [e]mail from other Triumph owners -- this is one. VTR isn't
that hard to discover either. It's hard to believe that anyone could
own or buy a Triumph without noticing one of the big vendors. But
apparently true. It's possible that it's harder to research this stuff
than I think.
So it might be a good idea to build a FAQ about online Triumph
resources. It could cover: how to learn about Triumphs online or not,
how to buy old British cars online or not, and how and where to buy
parts online or not. Perhaps this exists and I haven't seen it.
Note that I AM NOT volunteering. ;-)
--
Steven Newell
Denver, CO
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